WELLINGTON – Ever-increasing numbers of tourists are harming New Zealand’s environment and destroying the very qualities that make the country an attractive destination, a parliamentary report warned on Dec 18.
The South Pacific nation has long marketed itself as “100 per cent Pure” and “clean and green”, and has seen a huge growth in visitors in recent years, from millennials snapping selfies at Lord of the Rings filming locations, to climbers, hikers and wildlife enthusiasts.
The report from Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, comes as New Zealand’s adventure tourism industry is already under intense scrutiny over the recent White Island volcanic eruption, which killed 16 international travellers and two tour guides.
Mr Upton said New Zealand – with a population of 4.9 million – attracted almost four million international visitors annually and the number could treble by 2050, reported AFP.
He said infrastructure was already strained, the environment was under pressure and many of the qualities associated with New Zealand were disappearing.
“The sheer numbers of people are eroding the sense of isolation, tranquility and access to nature that many overseas tourists seek when visiting New Zealand,” he said.
“We need to ask: Are we in danger of killing the goose that laid the golden egg?”
Mr Upton said New Zealanders were also part of the problem, pointing out that Kiwis on domestic holidays outnumbered overseas tourists at major holiday spots.
Upton said for too long the tourism industry had escaped the environmental scrutiny imposed on other sectors such agriculture and mining.
However, there was little incentive for the government to restrain the country's most lucrative industry, generating about US$10.7 billion in export earnings annually.
Mr Upton said more visitors meant more greenhouse gases from flights to New Zealand and more waste entering the country’s waterways, as well as a higher risk of tourists importing pests and bio-security hazards.
Trade body Tourism Industry Aotearoa said it was committed to sustainability and agreed with Mr Upton’s assessment that new approaches were needed to manage environmental impacts.
“Nobody wants tourism at all costs... we want to work with our communities to shape the tourism future they want,” TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said in a statement.